by Scott Plack

3/15/2018 New Orleans, LA –

Someone once said the the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Perhaps then Paul Tanner is teetering on the edge. Last season the Trendsetters had the most success in several years finishing 79-83, just a few games short of .500. He is sending out what is essentially the same team hoping that this year will be another year of improvement. Is there hope, or is the Trendsetter fanbase being set up for a big let down?

In Tanner’s mind the Trendsetters are a little underrated by most standards. The Dixie shines bright with top team Florida, but really there isn’t much separation between the next four places in the division. The Trendsetter’s ranked 5th in runs scored (just four off of fourth), but found their pitching staff to be lacking. However, top pitchers Glenn Dixon and Dave McCallister started only 37  games between them. Last year, also saw the experiment of trying to revive Mark Richardson’s career, which failed miserably. Richardson wanted to be at the top of the lineup and his -13.0 vorp probably slowed the offense down. So let’s look at the lineup heading into spring training, and barring injury or trade into the season.

Leading off is CF Pablo Cabrera who was New Orleans sole All-Star last year. The accolades don’t stop there though, Cabrera was voted All-Leather and Tanner considers him to be in the top five center fielders if not the top center fielder. “He is absolutely the best fielding center fielder in the game, and his offensive game continues to grow with his experience. Center field is one of those positions of scarcity right now in the league. We are pumped that we have a guy that locks down the position, because few others in the league can say that right now.” Cabrera was picked up in the first round at pick number 17. He wasn’t the Trendsetters first choice, they actually wanted Tulane graduate Tadamichi Sato, but Duluth snatched him up at 16. At the time, the team was disappointed at missing the local connection, but few are sad now. Cabrera’s achilles heel is health. If he can repeat his career high of 152 games from last year, then the Trendsetters will be set at the top spot.

Following Cabrera will be SS Carlton Wilson. Wilson got a few stray votes for Royal Raker after having the best season of his young career in 2017. With Wilson you know what you are going to get. Lots of contact, very few strikeouts, and no home runs. But hitting at the number two spot, home runs aren’t needed. Wilson will hit his fair share of doubles, as well as be a plate setter for the bats coming up behind him.

LF Dave Nash is another first round draft pick (2016, 4th) that the Trendsetters expect big things from this year. When drafted, some experts believed him to be good enough to go straight to the majors, but the Trendsetters wanted him to get some work in the minors. However, after the all-star break the team deemed him ready to come up and he finished out the season filling in the 3-spot. He played in 42 games and contributed 7.0 vorp. The big if for Nash will be his health. He has suffered several minor injuries over his first two pro seasons. A healthy Nash will lead to a better Trendsetter offense. 

1B Tsumemasa Morimoto will continue his path to cement himself as franchise player in his second franchise. Morimoto, in his early years, established himself as the face of the franchise in Florida, was then traded for a pittance to Manchester. He responded by pounding 18 home runs in his first 58 games, was traded to New Orleans where he produced 35 more and set the single season homerun record. He then signed a 5 year contract extension with New Orleans, and continues to pound the cover off the ball. In the four hole, that’s what the team expects. He sits just 34 shy of 500 career home runs, and has really shown no signs of slowing down. Morimoto had this to say about his departure from Florida, “It was tough. Very tough. But I understand the business of baseball, and Florida hasn’t exactly been hurting for wins. It motivates me.”

To say that DH Jarrod Wright’s production was a disappointment, would be a bit of an understatement. He had a career year in San Antonio, and while he wasn’t terrible last season, it was no comparison between the two years. His batting average dropped .050 points, and his on-base percentage dropped below .300. He is on the last year of his contract and is getting pushed by another Trendsetter first round draft pick Rob McGrath. The Trendsetters are working McGrath out in Left field, looking to expand his chances of getting at bats in the upcoming season. Wright was offered early in the offseason in a few trade talks, but more than likely he will get his chance to improve in his second year in the blue and orange. The talent is certainly there – time will tell if he will get an extension or a new home next season.

RF Manuel Serrano worked his way into the starting lineup after a solid season in 2017. Serrano gives the Trendsetter the possibility of a 30 home run, 80 RBI guy hitting sixth. His average won’t go much above .250, but will be a tough out lower in the lineup. Like a few others in the lineup injuries have been a problem in Serrano’s past, but last year he played in 156 games and was good enough in RF to earn an All-Leather Award. It also earned him a 2 year contract extension worth $14 million.

The best number seven hitter this season will be 2B Damon Lambert. A former first round pick by Charleston, Lambert spent most of his early career in a positionless funk. Speed oozes out of every pore so it seemed wasteful to keep him at DH or 1B so the Trendsetters have pushed him at 2B. He certainly is learning, but he will never be a defensive juggernaut. Stop me if you have heard this one before, but Lambert’s season will depend on his health. 2 of his last three seasons have been cut short due to injury. In 2016 (his one full year), he hit .273 and contributed with 70 extra-base hits. The talent is there, will the health be there this year?

Batting eighth will be a platoon of Errol Grey and Jerry Neal. Grey is a lefty who thought he had earned his spot last season with a superb 2016 campaign. However, the dream of Richardson resurrecting his career derailed that thought, and then an injury that came in the wake after Lambert was injured put more bumps in that road. Grey is a high contact guy with some power and superb defense. Jerry Neal was picked up in a trade with Tempe and found himself in the starting lineup at 3B after the injuries to Lambert and Grey. In 70 games, he smashed 12 home runs and played excellent defense. An injury to Lambert or early struggles for Grey will mean a full time spot for Neal.

And last, but not least, is C Jack Collins. Last year Trendsetter catchers were terrible at offense. Collins got an extended cup of coffee and responded with a .293/.345/.457 over 52 games. He is no slouch behind the plate and is a smart kid who will grow with experience. If he can average last years numbers over the whole season, he will quickly vault himself into the discussion of best offensive catchers, and will be quite an asset at the bottom of the lineup.

As with every season, the big “if” is injuries. If all the players avoid injury and hit near average, the Trendsetters might find themselves near the top in runs scored. “Five games,” commented Tanner, “if we can just keep getting better by five games each season, eventually we will top the division again. If we can do so without robbing the minors of draft picks and prospects even better.”